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Fireline

During fire season, an inmate firefighter is denied parole and desperately tries to call home while his crew combats a wildfire.

Written and directed by Robin Takao D’OenchStarring Bobby SotoExecutive produced by Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising VoicesWorld premiere Tribeca Festival 2024Running time 13 minutes

Premieres Thursday, September 10 · 8 AM ETPremiered Thursday, September 10 · 8 AM ET

Premieres Thursday, September 10 · 8 AM ETNow streaming

Robin is giving you a month of PREVO.

Claim it now and Fireline will be waiting for you the moment it premieres, along with 150+ curated indie short films.Watch Fireline free right now, along with 150+ curated indie short films.

The link applies the code for you. One free month on the monthly plan, cancel anytime. Already a member? Go straight to the film.

Three things to do.

01

Claim your month

Use Robin's link above. It takes about a minute, and you're in before the premiere.the film is waiting for you when you land.

02

Watch it ThursdayWatch it

The film goes live Thursday, September 10 · 8 AM ET. Watch it that week if you can;Watch it this week if you can; a film's first days on PREVO count for a lot.

03

Leave Robin a Note

Under every film on PREVO there is a comment box. Rate the film and write a Note. It goes straight to Robin Takao D’Oench and lives on the film's page.

The film

“While the events of the film are fictional, the world it is depicting is not.”From the film’s press notes
  • “Today, 30% of CalFire is supplemented by inmate labor despite no clear pathway for employment within the fire department upon release from jail.”
  • The filmmakers worked closely with current-day wildland firefighters and formerly incarcerated people – some of whom appear in the film.
  • Written and developed with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices, Season Four, from a prompt that asked for “a vision of the future of work”.
  • It premiered at the Tribeca Festival in 2024, to a 500-person sold-out crowd.
  • Shot in Los Angeles in March 2024 and finished in May of the same year.
  • “Behind the lens, every creative head of department was a person of color, a woman or a member of the LGBTQ community.”

Director’s statement

Robin Takao D’Oench

Writer and director

“My grandparents’ incarceration in Japanese American Internment camps during World War II remains to be at the foundation of my creative core. My grandfather ‘volunteered’ for military service in the 442nd Regiment, an all-Japanese-American unit that would become the most decorated regiment in the history of the US military.”

“Prompted with a theme that explored ‘a vision of the future of work’, I drew from the past and pulled inspiration from Chinese American Railroad workers, Irish indentured servants, and an entire American labor system that originated from American slavery – and looked to frame this exploitation in a modern setting.”

“A meditation on fatherhood, I wrote this film at the same time as I became a new parent to a baby girl earlier this year.”

“The film looks to recognize the sacrifices incarcerated firefighters make to shorten their sentences to return to their loved ones with the hopes of rejoining their communities.”

  • A writer and director from New York City. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow.
  • Tadaima screened at over a hundred film festivals and events, and received a certificate of commendation from the city of San Francisco.
  • Hard screened with the opening gala at Outfest Fusion, and at NYC Shorts and Rhode Island International.
  • Here Comes Frieda screened at Slamdance. Trespassers premiered with Bite Size Halloween.

Cast and crew

Written and directed byRobin Takao D’Oench
StarringBobby Soto, Joshua Caleb Johnson, Fabian Alomar
Produced byFiona Hardingham, Dany Sanchez Lugo
Executive producersLena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Constanza Castro, Domenica Castro
Developed withHillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices, Season Four
CinematographyMingjue Hu
Production designKim Matela
Costume designClaire Mildred
CastingMatt Maist
Visual effectsCeleste Leizer
FestivalsTribeca Festival (world premiere), HollyShorts, Newport Beach, Whistler
Running time13 minutes 24 seconds
Aspect ratio2.00:1
LanguageEnglish
Shot inLos Angeles, March 2024

Press

“California’s inmate firefighters are the focus of filmmaker Robin Takao D’Oench’s brilliant short film Fireline.”

The Hollywood Times

Fireline stands out for its artistry and depth.”

We Love Short Film

“A tour de force that will have audiences cringing and wincing, twisting and turning.”

The Word

“An untold but essential story.”

Film & Television Business

Also covered by Film Threat, Take 2 Indie Review, Made in Shoreditch and The Atlanta Mail.

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